Past, Present and Future
by Bethy1416
Summary: Tag for 7x12/13 - a continuation from the end scene. The newly weds dance then later discuss their future together and Jane reassures his wife after hearing a few of her fears.


_A/N: So, that's it... Was a wonderful end to the show and left a gazillion opportunities for fic writers! I hope this doesn't ruin it completely for you, I've tried to capture the light and grace of the ep but I may not have done it justice. Anyhow! This is not the end for me, I shall be writing for a while more! Enjoy :)_

_(P.S. Can't believe I can now put 'Family' as a genre for fics and it be true to the show!)_

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Teresa sat with a hand pressed lightly to her stomach, the newly placed rock glistened in the reflected light of the pond. He glanced at the off white material covering the flesh of her tummy that he'd grown to know so well, then slowly raised his head to look at her, a smile gently creeping onto his face. She waited anxiously for him to say something, anything.

"No…you- you're kidding me?" he grinned, hope drowning his eyes and mixing with the sheer happiness that today had already brought him.

She smiled back, the nerves subsiding. "I'm not kidding," she responded, shaking her head slowly. They watched each other, his hand enveloping hers and rubbing softly over her relaxed fist.

"You are?.." He asked, needing her confirmation.

"I am…" she said and blinked back a tear. He let out a choked laugh of pure contentedness and she could see the unshed tears in his eyes, a mirror image of her own. The worry drained out of her as he leant in and kissed her then pulled her in for a hug. He rested his chin on her shoulder and thanked the god his wife so strongly believed in. He ran his hand up and down her back, holding her tightly and expressing his gratitude, passion and glee in the heat they shared. They stayed huddled like that in the cool night air for a good few minutes, gently rocking to and fro. She closed her eyes and rested her head against his neck, reflecting on the day they'd spent together.

"I promise, I am never leaving you again," he muttered, choking on his tears.

She pulled away and beamed at him, the surrealism of their reality hitting her hard."You better not."

"How long have you known?.."

"I've suspected for a couple weeks… but only known for a bit."

He raised his eyebrows a little, clearly surprised by something.

"What?" she asked. "You shocked that I can keep a secret?"

"Well… yes," he chuckled, which earned him a playful punch on the arm.

A few seconds later she looked at him with a renewed sense of excitement. "Can we go dance?"

He smiled, stood up - still grasping her hand - and cheekily pulled her to stand beside him.

"Let's," he agreed.

They walked around the pond and back to the beautifully lit area buzzing with life. Many still danced on the sturdy wooden platform and others lingered around the drinks and buffet. Teresa looked up at Jane and grinned as he did the same to her.

"Can we keep it hush?" she whispered to him before reaching the crowd of guests grooving it on the dance floor. He nodded and pressed his lips against her forehead then let her go as she was dragged to dance with her brothers.

He watched her swirl and spin for a minute, then went in search of a sandwich. He picked one up from a platter and sunk his teeth into the delights. He'd not eaten that day, apart from the eggs he'd picked at at breakfast; his stomach too alive with nerves to consume much at all.

Jane turned to watch the scene unfold around him and saw Rigsby stood not far away, selecting a variety of snacks. Jane let out a laugh as he approached the man, not surprised to see him there at all.

"Rigsby!" He greeted, taking another generous bite of his sandwich.

"Ah, the bridegroom," Rigsby joked. "How you doing?"

"I'm doing very well indeed."

Wayne smiled, clearly chuffed for the man who had once been so broken.

"How are the kids?" Jane asked. Rigsby shook his head grinning. "What?"

"Lisbon asked us exactly the same."

Jane bounced on his toes, reading another meaning in this.

"The kids are great. We've finally reached the sleeping-through-the-night stage, thank god."

They both laughed, but again, Jane seeing it differently. He couldn't wait!

"You think you'll have another?" he questioned.

"Not anytime soon, but I think we'd both like one more to add to the bunch."

"Good, good…"

"What about you and uh… Lisbon? Any family plans on the horizon?"

He tilted his head, really wondering what he should say. She'd not wanted to tell anyone, understandably so. But surely she wouldn't mind? It was Rigsby after all, he could only tell Grace…

"We'll see," he settled on. "Lisbon's very dedicated to her work, which I admit, has caused some friction between us… I can tell she's considered it, we both have. But it's not something we've discussed."

"There's plenty of time!"

"Yes, there is."

There was a comforting silence for a brief moment before Rigsby offered Jane to come back with him to the group he and Grace had been socialising with. He accepted and they both reached for another snack to accompany them on the walk to the corner of the dance floor where they were met with Cho, Abbott and Van Pelt. Jane positioned himself in the group so that he had a view of the lively crowd jumping and dancing in time to the music. He discreetly searched Teresa out and saw her chatting with Karen, her sister-in-law. She had removed the netting from her hair clasp and stood bouncing a leg with the steady beat of the music, causing her hips to sway a little and the soft skirt of her dress to jig. He was then included in a conversation, diverting his attention back to the friends he was surrounded by. When he briefly glanced back at the spot she'd been in she was gone, but he continued the conversation he was having with Cho and Abbott, as the Rigsbys went to dance again as an upbeat song returned and filled the atmosphere.

That's when her hand slipped around a couple of his fingers and he and Cho were being dragged further onto the dance floor.

"Come on!" She grinned, raising her voice to be heard over the music and chatter. "Dance!" She waved her hand at Abbott, signalling for him to join them, and he trotted over with the most hysterical dance move. Teresa bounced and bopped her shoulders in time with the music as Abbott began his clapping and jumping routine. Cho looked temporarily unimpressed until Lisbon took his hands and pulled them back and for, a marionette like appearance to his moves. Then the chorus charged through the speakers and Cho couldn't stop himself from jumping to the beat. Everyone around him laughed as they joined in and Teresa reached out to take Patrick's hands. He grinned as she twirled under his arm and continued with her energetic dance which he soon began to mirror.

Soon, the song eased to a stop and Lisbon began laughing as she bent over, one hand resting on her thigh and the other swinging lightly in Jane's grip. She was out of breath, similar to everyone else and she straightened back up again as a new song began, her chest rising and falling as she caught her breath. She slipped an arm around his waist and tilted her head against his shoulder as some dancers decided to skip the next song and others decided to join.

"Having fun is exhausting," she muttered, loud enough for him to hear.

"Shall we sit the next one out?" He suggested.

"Yeah, I'm gonna get a drink, did you want anything?" He looked down at her, sending her reminder signals. "Yes," she sighed, slightly peeved that he thought she'd forget. "I know. No alcohol. Now, you want anything or not?"

"I'll come with you, I'm hungry." They walked to the edge of the wooden platform and they hopped onto the flattened grass, making their way to the rapidly vanishing spread of refreshments. There were a few salad bits left, which Teresa picked at and some already cut slices of cake. They each took a piece and moved to the drinks table.

"I want some tea…" he murmured, looking at three remaining champagne flutes, some bottles of beer in the cooler, an almost empty jug of water and some juice boxes that hadn't been opened by the children before the evening party began.

"Me too…"

They turned to each other, he took her hand, then they ran discreetly up to the Airstream, muffling their laughter on the way. They were abandoning their own wedding party for a cup of tea!

He opened the door and held it, allowing her to rush up the steps and he glanced back at the guests before hurrying in himself. She turned on a lamp that provided a soft glow and he went about preparing the tea.

"Is that caffeinated?" she quickly asked as he dropped the tea bag into the steaming water. "I've already had my share today."

"Yes, but don't worry, I know a little trick." He beckoned her over to him with an open arm and she filled the space next to him. "Caffeine is the first substance released into the water... If you steep the tea for about thirty seconds, the majority of the caffeine has been removed from the bag. Dump this water," he informed her, disposing of the mug's contents down the sink. "Then refill the cup, like so… steep again, add the milk, et voilà!"

"That's okay for me to drink?" she said, a little unsure.

"It'll do no harm." He slid the mug over to her and kissed her temple as he carried on making his own. She took it to the tiny table and sat down. He soon joined her and loosened his tie a little more, then his collar.

"You looked so beautiful today," he told her. "You still do."

She bowed her head, a little shy but then gazed straight into his eyes. "I'm still getting over you wearing a tie."

He let out an amused bellow of a laugh, the happiness and the perfection of his new wife getting all too much.

"This may sound crazy…" he began. "But I'm going to be cutting down my hours with the FBI so I can renovate our home."

"You mean… you're aiming to get it done in time?" she glanced down at her stomach.

"Even I realize this," he motioned to his surroundings, "is not a great environment to raise a child. No matter how temporary. I want us all to have a stable home, where we can be safe and live peacefully," he paused, reconsidered, then continued, "or not so peacefully." They smirked, acknowledging the future they were both embarking on from this point forward.

"Okay… Then I want to inform you that I've decided to spend less time in the field, for multiple reasons, and more time on desk duty. I can't give up my job, but I can compromise."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, you have no idea."

"As for… as for after the baby is born, I'm not sure. I've not considered it yet."

He reached across the table and took her hand in his, comforting her. "We have plenty of time for that. Let's just get you through this. Take it a step at a time." She nodded but he could see the worry embed itself in her. "Are you scared?" he asked her gently, wanting the truth to come out.

She watched him for a moment, and then let her guard down. "Yeah… Yeah I am."

"It's okay," he reassured her, knowing she didn't like to feel or appear weak. "I think I'd be worried if you weren't… I-I don't know if this will be of comfort to you… but this isn't my first time, I can help."

She trained her eyes on his and wasn't sure what it was she was feeling. It did provide a level of reassurance, yet it brought up things she'd feared when she'd first seen the tiny plus sign on the test.

"Talk to me," he urged, knowing things were playing on her mind.

"I'd been apprehensive…"

"Don't hold back because of what happened, Teresa. I've moved on, I can remember them without being pained by the memories. You're safe…"

"With your past, I'd worried that this news would appear that I didn't understand, or that I was taking our relationship for advantage…"

"None of that is how I see this." He lowered his head so he could pick up her gaze again. "Everything between you and I is the best thing that has happened to me. I was eternally grateful for the time and patience you'd given me. Then you returned my feelings in that TSA interrogation room and I knew I didn't deserve it, especially after everything I'd done to you. I couldn't see what you saw in me, how your feelings hadn't been extinguished after the crap I pulled. Now, finally, you've given me the gift of marrying you. That in itself was a blessing, a second chance. And… the pregnancy… no words can translate what I currently feel. Just know I am so, so grateful for having you, and the chance you've provided me with. And never think that you have to tiptoe around me or that I am comparing what I had with my late family, to what I have with you now."

A faint smile toyed at her lips and unshed tears made the viridescent shade of her eyes gleam with a renewed color and hope. She got up and sniffed then bent toward him to plant a warm kiss on his lips. He pushed his tea further onto the table so it didn't get knocked as she sat on his lap and he slid an arm around her back for padding against the cool wall of the Airstream.

"You realise we're not all going to be able to fit here soon," he joked. There was only just about enough space to have her sat on him now, not to mention when she progressed through the various trimesters.

"You know how to make a woman feel special."

"Hey!"

There were a few seconds of silence as she persisted to register his words. "Seriously though… I do worry… I know I shouldn't and it's probably just these goddamn hormones, but I'm glad to know where I stand. Do you think things have worked themselves out?"

"What things?"

"The stuff before. About the FBI. Honestly, when you continued to worry about me in the field, I thought you already knew... Before me! Then you… left and I found out, and I thought back to all of this. I thought I knew you well enough to know you wouldn't leave me in the situation I was in. In hindsight, I should have probably guessed that you weren't aware. But things were crazy, I couldn't think clearly."

"I'm sorry…" he lowered his head to nuzzle into the sweetness of her hair. "If I'd known, things would have been so very different. I guess you could argue that they shouldn't have changed because of your pregnancy, that I should never have left you again."

"You needed time to think, I realised that, that's why I didn't tell you sooner. Besides, I didn't even know about it until part the way through the week of your absence."

"Don't provide an excuse for me. I could have stayed and figured things out. Maybe it would have taken more time, or things would have turned out differently, but I shouldn't have left you."

"Would it help if I had a go at you instead?" she teased.

"I refuse to let that be the first thing you have a go at me for in our new marriage, Teresa. Choose something a little more… zazzy."

"Zazzy?" she said, amused by his vocabulary.

"I'm sure these new hormones will help you think of something."

She slapped his chest and could feel his sigh of laughter tickle her neck. She hated these damn hormones already.

"Let's finish our tea and get back out there," she suggested, wriggling off his lap to gulp down the remaining sips from her mug. He watched her as he drained his own cup then hopped up beside her. "I'm glad we had this conversation," she smiled gently and caught his hand as they exited the Airstream.


End file.
